Look. I just. I can’t. I’m not sure. Ummm…
So Joker is Joker from Batman. Not like the fun Batman from your childhood though. But actually there’s no Batman in this film anyway so forget about him. This film is entirely about the Joker and it. is. grim. Like, real grim.
Joker is played by Joaquin Phoenix and he is Oscar-worthy incredible. Truly, he does bleak like no one else I can think of. Joker is profoundly mentally ill and just as in real life, it’s not in any way enjoyable to watch someone spiraling out of control.
So now that I’ve covered the basics, it’s hard to know what to say to be honest. Did I enjoy watching this film? No. Is it beautifully crafted? Sure.
So to cut to the chase, if you’re a fan of the more recent Batman films and are wondering if you should see this to satisfy your curiosity, my view on that would be, yes I suppose you should. But if Batman and DC Comics are not your thing (they’re not mine, in case that wasn’t clear) then definitely, without any shadow of a doubt, give this one a miss. Even when it’s for free on the telly. Because it’ll suck the life out of you.
Joker has received mixed reviews. For example, The Guardian say it’s the most disappointing film of the year and gave it 2 stars but The Telegraph (UK) gave it 4 stars. So as with the Instagram poll that landed me seeing this film in the first place*, it can go either way.
Joker is in cinemas now and is rated MA 15+. It runs for just over two hours and the first hour felt long to me. The second hour was so chock-full of trauma that it certainly passed quickly! Trailer here.
* I had no personal interest in seeing this film so I put it to the people by way of a poll on my Instagram (@stephaniepuls). It ended up with a 54% yes vote with an alarmingly large number of voters. Life is full of mysteries.